The Audacity of Cute

Jim Windolf wrote a piece in the December issue of Vanity Fair attacking the new American obsession with all things cute (see, e.g., cute overload.com, icanhazcheezburger, the Obamas, etc). He posits that our obsession with cuteness is a way to cope with everything negative and destructive that is happening around us, citing that the rise of certain websites dedicated to cute animals and cute foods such as cupcakes began sometime around the time everything in this country began to fall apart (ie. Bush’s presidency). He says:

For generations, kids couldn’t wait until they reached adulthood so they could smoke, drink, eat four-course meals, make money, drive cars, have sex, and, if they were the type to join the military, legally kill other human beings. Now we would rather log on and tune out, preferably in the womb-like comfort of a Snuggie, which is the perfect thing to wear as we gaze at photos of kittens while gnawing on delicious cupcakes.

I do admit, however, that cuddling parties (a real event where you pay $30 to participate in a session of fully-clothed cuddling) are a little strange. I’m a little offended by his resentment of “cute culture,” because I don’t understand why it’s necessarily a bad thing to take solace in websites like lolcats every so often in order to step back from all the depressing headlines we are constantly absorbing. Furthermore, I don’t really see this as that new of a phenomenon. Disney movies have always included super adorable characters in their films (Flounder in The Little Mermaid, Meiko in Pocahontas, Chip in Beauty and the Beast to name a few), and I remember a Hello Kitty and Sanrio craze back when I was in Middle School in the late 90s. Maybe it’s more noticeable now with the popularity and advances of the internet, but I feel like the appeal of cuteness is not a new thing. Plus, what’s so bad about taking solace in photos of cute kittens rather than drugs or alcohol or other self-destructive behavior? I will certainly continue to enjoy my cute cupcakes and pictures of adorable baby animals, and I refuse to feel ashamed or somehow less intelligent because of it.